Fifty-five years is a long time to have been facing the challenge of designing, manufacturing, exporting, and improving on automotive spare parts, but Terrain Tamer has been doing just that since the company’s beginnings in 1969.
In the company’s early years, Managing Director Frank Hutchinson recognised the need for strong, durable parts when he met tour operator Bill King, who pioneered tour groups through the outback in the 1970s with Bill King’s Northern Safaris, and eventually formed what is today known as AAT Kings.
If King ever experienced breakages and needed a service or replacement parts – and he did with most trips through Australia’s harsh and unforgiving outback – he would come straight to Terrain Tamer.
From there, Terrain Tamer’s journey began – not only supplying standard replacement parts, but researching, designing, testing, and manufacturing 4WD parts that are equal to or stronger than their original equipment equivalent, finding practical solutions to the common problems that customers like King would report.
Solutions like increasing the strength of the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 series gearbox by up to three times, with a specially designed input shaft, one of Terrain Tamer’s earliest innovations to improve on its OE counterpart.
“No-one was really improving on parts back when we started. I had mentioned the idea to many people and was always met with the same reply – why would you? Genuine was the pinnacle and they were not interested in fixing what they didn’t think was broken, but so many of these parts just weren’t standing up to what they needed to do.”
Among recent innovations are the Terrain Tamer Fortified Plus Clutch Kits, which come several years after the release of the brand’s original Fortified Clutch range and extends on the company’s existing catalogue of standard replacement and heavy-duty clutch kits.
Following the company legacy of producing stronger, improved parts, the Fortified Plus clutch was purposely designed with the extreme weight and engine capacity of armoured vehicles in mind, and offers up to an 80 percent increase in torque capacity, making it perfect for vehicles with GVM upgrades where the clutch is often the weakest point; or for those carrying extremely heavy loads or with increased power from upgrades such as chips, aftermarket exhausts and turbos.
The Fortified Plus Clutch range employs exclusive Terrain Tamer tooling, and all components have been made in Japan, including an innovative clutch disc design that uses Clutchtex Kevlar material on both the engine and transmission facings to combat shuddering, a technology not previously used in the 4WD industry.
This Kevlar compound offers a significant increase in strength, and a longevity two to three times that of the OE counterpart, paired with smoother engagement and a softness that ensures the flywheel and pressure plate remain unmarked.
There’s also an increase in damper spring capacity, friction material coefficient and the burst strength of the facing. The Fortified Plus Clutch cover assembly is anodised for maximum corrosion resistance and features a spheroidal graphite anti-burst pressure plate casting. This extends the life of the clutch and allows it to run cooler in extreme situations. It offers higher clamp loads and additional drive straps for strength, where required.
Terrain Tamer’s 4WD Parabolic Leaf Springs fewer leaves than standard leaf packs, the springs get their name from their tapered ‘parabolic’ design, which is thicker in the centre and thinner toward the ends, rather than the usual linear style. This addresses issues that come with traditional leaf packs being thick, heavy and clunky, essentially adding to the weight of vehicles that are often dangerously close to their GVM limit.
Traditional leaf springs can also be uncomfortable, loud and can create a safety issue, offering little to no flex when a driver hits a bump or finds themselves in a rough off-road situation, with the rigidity of the pack causing the opposite wheel to lift and lose traction.
Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs use new technology to provide a quieter, more comfortable ride with a strength not found in traditional springs.
Additionally, the flex of a Parabolic Spring allows it to give a little, allowing the differential housing to rotate with the springs and effectively providing a smoother ride, reducing the shock transferred to the crown wheel and pinion, stopping the wheel from spinning, and maintaining safety and drive. The range has been expanded to include Heavy Duty, Extra Heavy Duty and Armoured versions, for vehicles such as those used in military and mining applications.
Similarly, Terrain Tamer’s Heavy-Duty Wheel Bearing Kits were specifically designed and manufactured to extend the service life of wheel bearings in vehicles used for heavy towing or operating in extreme conditions.
It’s not unusual to find evidence of heavy contamination during a wheel bearing service. Operation in sand, water, and dust or with unsuitable lubricants can dramatically shorten the life of a good quality bearing and lead to the replacement of bearings, seals, grease, or even spindles and housings.
In response to this, Terrain Tamer developed Heavy Duty Bearing kits. These include all components for a wheel bearing overhaul, such as gaskets, nuts, gear lever seats and bushes, boots, and washers, and come with two major innovations.
The first of these is a heavy-duty hub seal which rotates on its own internal surface, without relying on the condition of the shaft and thus eliminating wear on components that would prove expensive to replace.
The seals use a labyrinth construction with four sealing surfaces to better prevent the loss of oil and lubricating fluids and protect against the ingress of dirt and other contaminants, making them perfectly suited to harsh conditions.
The second is a heavy-duty bearing with a Rockwell hardness rating 2.5 points higher than the OE equivalent. These bearings are made in Japan and combine a new forging technique with an upgraded heat treatment procedure to enable a longer service life.
For more information on Terrain Tamer’s range or brand, visit terraintamer.com